Chapter 1: Prologue
Chapter Text
Bright orange flames devoured what remained of the Hidden Leaf. Pillars of smoke rose into the night sky, curling like dying serpents as charred rooftops collapsed one by one. Forests that once surrounded the village stood blackened and leafless, their trunks reduced to embers.
And above it all, on the shattered cliffs of the Hokage Monument, two brothers—not by blood, but by fate—faced each other, deciding the future of the world.
A young man with black hair stood tall, his expression unreadable, while before him, a blond-haired shinobi knelt, his sword buried in the cracked stone to steady himself. Wind tugged at the blue cloak around his shoulders, and his scarred left eye glared up at the man standing over him.
“I didn’t think you’d go this far, Kawaki…” Boruto said, voice heavy with disappointment and disgust.
Kawaki didn’t look away. “You think this is about me? …You still don’t get it. This isn’t for me, Boruto. It’s for all of us.”
For us? How could he possibly justify trying to destroy their home for his family’s sake? How could he justify ending the lives of everyone for their family?
Boruto’s grip tightened. “Then why does it look like you’re tearing everything apart?”
Kawaki’s expression softened briefly, almost regretful. “I’ll sacrifice everything and everyone, even my soul, if it means I can create a perfect world for Lord Seventh and his family to live in without any dangers of threats like the Otsutsuki, or threats from within..”
Boruto’s eyes widened slightly at his tone. “…Kawaki, you’re talking like—”
Like the Otsutsukis that Kawaki hated so much. They justified their actions of sacrificing and destroying entire worlds to reach something ‘greater’. Kawaki wanted to destroy all of them…so why the heck was going to the same lengths that the Otsutsukis did?
He had always known Kawaki’s love for their family was obsessive—dangerously so—but he never thought it would come to the point where Kawaki decided to sacrifice the entire world for his dad. He had hoped… no, he had believed they could settle this without blood.
But those hopes died when Kawaki spoke.
“I’m going to send you to the same place I sent the Seventh Hokage,” Kawaki said, his tone cold, his eyes leaving no room for doubt.
Boruto’s fingers tightened on his sword. His heart twisted. “…I guess this was the only possible outcome.”
For three years, he had tried everything to save Kawaki from himself, to guide him away from the path that once consumed Sasuke. He wanted to save Kawaki from the cruel fate of becoming consumed and being fodder for the Divine Tree.
Naruto had saved his friend, but Boruto… Boruto had failed his brother. He couldn’t save him from this obsession. Couldn’t save him from this fate.
And now, because of his failure, because of his need to protect Kawaki and make him stronger, things had become so much worse, and Kawaki was even more depraved and had become a bigger threat than the ones Boruto was trying to protect him and the world from. The only choice left… was the one Boruto had dreaded all along from the beginning.
He would have to kill him to save the world.
Kawaki raised his hand, and the red glow of his Karma surged, spreading like cracks of molten fire across his skin. His chakra roared, oppressive and suffocating.
“The age of shinobi is over,” Kawaki declared, his voice sharp, final.
Boruto closed his eyes for the briefest moment, then stood, gripping his sword tightly. His own Karma flared to life, brilliant blue streaks rushing over his body until they reached his scarred eye. When it opened, it revealed a pale Jōgan rimmed with a dark sclera, glowing defiantly in the smoke-choked air.
“Even so…” Boruto’s voice rose, burning with everything he had left. “I’m still a shinobi!”
His chakra flared like a storm, swirling dust and sparks around him.
"When I was younger, I thought being a shinobi was all about power," Boruto thought, lowering into a fighting stance. "That strength alone defined who we were." But I’ve learned something else… something my dad always knew.
Being a shinobi isn’t about how strong you are. It’s about having the guts to never give up.
With a single roar, Boruto surged forward, his sword flashing like lightning. Kawaki met him head-on, black and red flames twisting around his body.
Their weapons collided, and sparks rained down on the ruined monument as the fate of the world was decided by two brothers.
4 YEARS BEFORE THE BATTLE WITH KAWAKI
The roar of a train pierced the air as it ran across the rails, winding through buildings and forests. On the roof of the train, three figures stood beneath the sunrise, watching as the sun slowly began to rise above the Hokage Monument.
Boruto Uzumaki leaned back a little, with his hands behind his hair, the wind whipping through his hair. “The year where we graduate and become genin…it’s been a pretty long ride since the beginning of the academy huh.”
Besides him, Sarada Uchiha sat cross-legged, her onyx eyes fixed on the horizon as the sunlight illuminated her pitch-black hair. She didn’t smile, only frowned at something.
And across from her, Mitsuki with a coy smile spoke, “It won’t be easy, graduation is just the start of us becoming full-fledged ninja.”
“I don’t care if it’s easy or not.” Sarada spoke, a determined edge in her voice as her fists clenched in her lap. “This is my chance…a chance to prove I’m not just Sasuke Uchiha’s daughter.”
Boruto glanced at her, curious. From what he had heard, Sasuke was a pretty cool and badass ninja, with tons of amazing jutsu. Why wouldn’t she want to strive to be like him?
“People still glare at me, even after all these years.” She spat, becoming more irritated. “Like I’m going to snap one day…like the Curse of Hatred will consume me because of my Uchiha blood. Just like with Itachi, Obito, and Madara.”
She took a deep breath. “And I don’t want to prove them right at all. I want to show I’m a proud ninja of Konoha.”
“Please,” Boruto snorted, “You’re too stuck up and annoying to fall for that whole ‘Curse of Hatred’ bull.” To which Mitsuki laughed, and Sarada rolled her eyes, with a faint smile on her lips.
“And what about you, dumb Boruto?” Sarada retorted. “Why do you wanna be a ninja?”
That was a good question. It wasn’t a question he had really focused on, as he either focused on cruising through the academy easily, or enjoying a Thunder burger with his friends after school. He didn’t really care about the type of shinobi he was, just that he would look really cool…and maybe surpass his dad, and get out of his shadow one day.
With that in mind, “As for me…I just want to get out of my dad’s shadow, and become a cool shinobi. When people look at me, all they see is that I’m Lord Seventh’s kid, and not just plain, old Boruto.” Boruto spoke, glancing at his two friends.
“I’m sure you’ll figure it out.” Mitsuki said simply. After all, you are my sun, and a sun doesn’t need the help of others to shine on its own, and be unique.”
A tad-bit weird coming from Mitsuki, but he had always been like this ever since they had first met. The pale, blue haired boy’s mannerisms were a bit odd, and somewhat mocking at times, but Boruto had found it endearing as the two of them grew closer over time.
“And what about you, Mitsuki?” Boruto asked, directing the conversation to him. “Why do you want to be a shinobi?”
Mitsuki hesitated, before saying “For all my life, I’ve been searching for what I was meant to do with the life that was given to me. Besides protecting you and Sarada, I’m not sure what else I want to do.” The boy paused, then continued “I’m hoping that becoming a shinobi will give me the answers I seek to this mysterious life of mine.”
With that, all of them remained silent as the train whistle shrieked. In the distance, the Hidden Leaf rose into view, alive with morning bustle.
“Whatever’s waiting for us outside…I’m ready for it.” Sarada spoke as she stood, preparing to jump into the nearest house and make her way home.
“Then let’s make this the start of something big!” Boruto smirked, a cocky edge growing in his tone.
The three jumped from the roof of the train, effortlessly landing on the balcony of a house within the village as they jumped from house to house.
???:
Within the shadows of an abandoned laboratory, multiple broken test tubes lined up at the ends of a hall, with broken glass and green fluids littering the solid floor. At the end of the hall, there was a large test tube containing some large creature. In front of it was a cloaked figure, her body trembling with waves of anticipation...and hatred.
The figure had waited so long for this very moment. From gathering enormous amounts of chakra, to finding the right genes to implant into her project. And now, it was ready.
“It’s time to crush the Leaf, and raze it to the ground.” The cloaked figure spoke softly, her emotion buried under layers of bitterness and hatred.
The world may have forgotten about how Naruto Uzumaki had thrown away ROOT like trash, how he made her father and mother suffer before indirectly killing them, but she would never forget. She would never forget how he harbored criminals like Orochimaru, and Sasuke Uchiha, the latter having murdered Danzo Shimura, who only wanted to protect the Leaf.
But by the time she was through with the Leaf, the world would never forget ever again.
“And it all starts with this.” The figure whispered, laying her hand on the test tube, as the creature opened it’s eye to reveal a glowing yellow eye, full of bestial hatred.
“An artificial summon…containing the ultimate power!”
Kawaki
Deep within a remote stronghold, a boy lay slumped against the wall, his breath labored and blood dripping from his lip. His arms trembled, and his body bore the marks of brutal training—fractures, bruises, and swolleness on his body.
The boy slowly raised his hand, using whatever strength he had left to look at the black, diamond-like mark on his palm.
“The Karma…it is a gift I bestowed upon you.” a voice from long ago spoke. “This mark, is the only way to fill your hollow heart and body, so that you may have a purpose. Without it, you are NOTHING.”
He had thought maybe things would get better, now that he was valuable because of the Karma. It was what Jigen had told him after all, now he had value to others…compared to when he was stuck at his village.
But this Karma mark had only been a curse from him. He had been ripped away from one abusive home only to be subjected to a place far worse than hell.
“They said this mark would make me ‘special’, more ‘valuable’.”
A bitter laugh escaped his lips.
“But all it did was break me. Make the hole in my heart grow bigger.”
As he spoke, the Karma mark pulsated, spreading across his body and responding to his pain, almost as if it was alive. His grey eyes began to glow with rage as he spoke.
“But I’ll get stronger from this training…strong enough to kill all those bastards who subjected me to this hell.”
Chapter 2: The Next Generation
Notes:
Hey guys! I hope the past week has been treating all of you well!
The next 10 chapters have already been written, but I'm keeping my posting schedule to 1-3 times a month until I've finished writing the entirity of Book 1, which may take some time lol. This means the next chapter will be coming out on 8/16/25, so that's 3 chapters for August. The pace and the story might seem a bit slow and boring at first, but I promise it begins to pick up around Chapter 4!
I hope you enjoy this chapter! Let me know in the reviews what you think of this chapter!
Chapter Text
Boruto sat at the breakfast table, lazily poking at his rice with a bored expression. His younger sister, Himawari ate quickly, already half-packed for the school day.
It had been months since he had entered the Ninja Academy for his final year, and so far, it was a pathetically boring snooze. He wanted to learn the awe-inspiring jutsus his father and Sasuke used, but the teachers had insisted on a curriculum of basics. In Boruto's opinion, this was a pointless waste of his prodigious talent.
After all, he was already one of the strongest, if not the strongest, in his class. He had learned three chakra natures, could do the Shadow Clone Jutsu, and his intellect was off the charts. Yet here he was, forced to go through the motions like everyone else, as if the basics were anything but a formality for someone of his skill.
A noise broke through his thoughts as Boruto's mother, Hinata, moved through the kitchen with practiced grace.
"Eat up, Boruto." she said gently. "You don't want to be late for school."
"I won't be." Boruto grunted, as he grabbed a piece of tamagoyaki. "We're probably not even doing anything special in school today." He was frustrated by the new rules implemented by Uncle Kakashi and his father long ago after the Fourth Great Ninja Wat; kids couldn't graduate early and were required to take core subjects unrelated to being a ninja. The ninja parts covered basics like tree and water-walking and scroll storage—all of which he had already mastered. Why couldn't he graduate early? The sooner he did, the sooner he could unlock a world of amazing jutsu.
Just then, the door opened and in stepped Naruto Uzumaki—his father. His Hokage cloak was slung over his shoulders like a cape, and his hair was a little frazzled from rooftop travel.
"Morning," Naruto said, brushing dust off of his orange robe. "Looks like I made it in time for Hinata's delicious breakfast!"
"Oh, thank you Naruto!" Hinata spoke, a smile growing on her face. "You're lucky. Himawari was just about to head out."
"Papa!" Himawari ran to give him a big hug. "You're here…the real you!"
"Good, if he wasn't I would've kicked his ass," Boruto smirked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
In truth, Boruto held no real grudge against his father for the missed dinners. It had been explained to him and Himawari early on that the demands of the Hokage's office often meant he could only send a clone. But at the end of the day, Naruto was still there, still trying to make time for his family, and Boruto was grateful for that—especially considering what he knew of Sarada's situation with her dad.
"Figured I'd drop by before things get crazy again." Naruto chuckled, ignoring the sarcasm as he sat down across Boruto. "Word is, you've got graduation coming up soon."
Boruto nodded through a mouthful of rice. "Yep. It's probably gonna be the easiest graduation ever, with how strong I am."
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "That confident, huh?"
"Well, yeah." Boruto snorted, settling down his chopsticks. "C'mon dad, I've been doing clones since I was eight, and I know more Chakra natures and jutsu then half my class already."
Naruto leaned back. "Being a shinobi isn't just about jutsu. It's about grit. Discipline. Knowing when to fight—and when not to."
Boruto rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. The classic Dad speech."
The classic dad speech. Where his dad would lecture about the real world and how people could get hurt in real life. As if that'd ever happen to Boruto. After all, the young shinobi was basically one of the strongest in his class! And after graduation, that was when he'd learn more jutsu and become one of the strongest ninja ever.
"I'm serious," Naruto said. "The world isn't always fair. Missions go wrong. People get hurt. If you're not ready for that—"
"I'll be fine," Boruto interrupted. "Besides, I've got Mitsuki and Sarada. And you're the Hokage. What could go wrong?"
Naruto stared at him for a moment, then gave a small smile—gentle, but slightly weary.
"Just remember, being a shinobi isn't a game. I learned that the hard way, and I really hope you don't have to go through the same things I did."
Boruto grabbed his bag and stood up. "I'll be back before dinner—unless I decide to stop and save the village on the way."
Naruto chuckled. "Well, try not to destroy it in the process."
As Boruto headed out the door, Naruto called after him, quieter now.
"Boruto… don't just aim to graduate. Aim to understand what being a shinobi really means."
Boruto paused and rolled his eyes. "Sure. Whatever that means."
He waved, then disappeared around the corner.
Naruto sat back with a sigh. "He reminds me of me. Way too much."
Hinata set a cup of tea in front of him.
"And just like you," she said softly, "he'll learn… eventually."
Meanwhile, in the Uchiha Residence, Sarada stood in front of the mirror, adjusting her glasses with a frown.
It was almost time to go to the Academy. Sarada could already predict what they were going to learn for the rest of the year…the same basic taijutsu, water and tree-walking, scroll storage, and the non-ninja core activities.
She found most of these subjects useless for combat, but she forced herself to pay attention. They served to build her chakra reserves little by little, and the non-ninja activities, like citizen protection, had their place in real missions.
Sakura poked her head into the room, beaming. "Morning Sarada! Are you almost ready? School is about to start."
Sarada turned around and looked at Sakura, "Hey Mom."
"You look so grown up in your uniform! I'm so proud of you, Sarada."
Sarada nodded stiffly. "Thanks, Mom."
"I just wish your father could be here to see this," Sakura added wistfully.
Her father. The one who was never here. The one who got her mother pregnant and then barely visited from time to time. The man who had betrayed the village, and because of that and his bloodline, Sarada was constantly judged and forced to strive for perfection.
It was one of the reasons she envied Boruto a little. He had a father who he saw a least three times a week, a father who was regarded as a hero of the village, and the strongest Shinobi of his time. Most of all, neither his father nor his bloodline had a history of being traitors, as a matter of fact, they were praised for being heroes.
Boruto could just exist in the village, and everyone would treat him like some sort of king (which she knew he hated, after all, he'd wanted to make his own mark on the world independent of his father). Meanwhile, Sarada had to fight to prove herself every. single. Day. Fight to prove that she wasn't like any of the other Uchiha before her.
Memories began to rise unbidden, sharp as a kunai's edge.
"…it's dangerous, letting Uchiha kids train like the others," one man whispered. "What if she turns out like Madara? Or like her father before Naruto stopped him?"
"Bet she hits the target in one shot," a boy snickered behind her.
"Of course she will," another replied, louder. "She's an Uchiha. They're all geniuses, right? Just don't stand too close—she might snap and try to kill us like her dad did."
"Maybe she'll wake up one morning with that crazy eye-thing," one of the boys whispered. "Sharingan makes you go nuts. My dad said so. Said all the Uchihas are cursed."
And it was all because of Sasuke Uchiha. So she was a little glad she didn't have to see him for graduation. After all, if he wasn't there for her earlier, then why should he show up now?
But it still hurt when she saw other people, especially Boruto hanging out with their own dads though. It still hurt that her dad was never around to see her accomplishments.
Sarada's grip on her headband tightened. "Yeah… I know."
She turned away, but Sakura grabbed her hand before she could walk out the door.
"I know it hasn't been easy, with your father not being here and all." Sakura spoke, kneeling down to meet Sarada's height. "But he has his own reasons, and everything he does is out of love for us. For you."
Sarada's anger rose as she heard those words. For her? What a joke. If her dad really cared about her, then why did he leave? Why barely visit Sarada and her mother?
"I'll be back late," she muttered, jerking away from her mother and walking out the door before Sakura could respond.
Sakura sighed, and glanced at the photo of a baby Sarada along with herself and Sasuke.
"Come back soon, Sasuke. Maybe you'll be able to explain everything to her."
Boruto, Sarada, and Mitsuki met near the front gates, walking side by side through the main quad. Familiar faces greeted them in the crowd of students as they passed—Inojin, Cho-Cho, and Shikadai, who yawned loudly.
"Morning," Boruto said casually, looking towards his closest friend ever since they were in diapers.
"Barely," Shikadai grumbled, his face growing more irritated. "Some of us like sleep."
Cho-Cho smiled. "Some of us also like snacks. But priorities."
It was always nice to see their unique personalities on display, especially since Shikadai's laziness helped out a lot when he needed a buddy to help sneak out of school and play video games. The only downside of that was that Shikadai tended to have a…short fuse whenever he lost the games that they were playing, which was funny at times, but worked against them at other times when Shikadai's rage was one of many reasons why they were eventually caught and given detention.
More familiar faces dotted the crowd as well.
—Sumire Kakei, the class representative who was always quiet and polite.
—Metal Lee, a kid with green spandex stretching beside a tree, getting ready for today's lesson. The dude was a hard worker…but was really nervous when performing in front of other people for some reason.
—Iwabee, was muttering to himself about crushing today's lesson. Before, he had been a punk who was skilled in all manners of Earth jutsu, but didn't believe in the theories and the non-ninja classes. Boruto shared the same sentiment with him, which is one of the many reasons why he helped him to study.
—And another team: Kazu Watanabe, Aoi Uzumaki, and Rei Yamanaka, each with their own odd energy.
—Then there was Asahi Hatake, son of legends, talking excitedly with Kaiti Sarutobi and Riku Inuzuka. If there was one person who he would consider his rival outside of Sarada, it would be Asahi. He was about as strong as him, if not stronger, with unparalleled mastery of Lightning and Earth jutsu in their class. Boruto had many spars against him, and most of their fights had ended up with Asahi on top.
The crowd of students walked inside when the Academy teachers showed up and instructed them to go to their classes.
Inside, Shino Aburame stood motionless at the front of the classroom, insects subtly crawling beneath his hooded cloak. He spoke in a low, calm tone.
"You are all nearing graduation. And as such, we've arranged a lesson with a special guest."
The door opened. Konohamaru Sarutobi stepped in with his signature confident smile.
"Big Bro Konohamaru!" Boruto called out, waving to the man who was a close family friend. The man's presence was very enjoyable, and he'd taught Boruto a few of his techniques, the most funny one being the Sexy Jutsu technique. Unfortunately, his mother hadn't been too happy with Konohamaru and Boruto when she'd found out. It was a story for another time though.
"Hey Boruto." The man smiled, before walking over to him and whispering, "Remember, it's Konohamaru-sensei when we're in public."
"Sure thing, Big Bro Konohamaru." Boruto grinned. To which Konohamaru let out an exasperated sigh and went back to the front of the class to explain what they were doing today.
"Today, we're going to be continuing where you guys left on summoning techniques. You'll each be practicing summoning tools through scrolls."
Gasps and murmurs filled the room.
"Wait, summoning animals too?" someone asked.
Konohamaru raised a hand. "Animal contracts require a bond and a lot more chakra. For now, let's focus on weapons."
Scrolls were handed out, and the students practiced channeling chakra into them. Some summoned kunai. Others, shuriken. A few managed smoke bombs, much to the class's amusement.
For Boruto, it was another boring class where he didn't learn anything new. For Sarada, she took the chance to ask Shino-Sensei and Konohamaru-Sensei about different ways to apply scroll storage weapons in terms of combat. For Mitsuki, it was another day to bother students with his odd mannerisms and blunt words that could be taken as insults, which he enjoyed doing.
Of course, all nice and good things must come to an end when people end up arguing.
Rei was having trouble performing the storage summon, to which Arashi had noticed and made a pointed joke at her.
"Ya know, maybe if you spent less time focusing on your nails and makeup, and focused more on training to be a ninja, you'd actually be able to summon something."
Of course, Rei didn't take this joke lightly, and became incensed. "Excuse me! My makeup and nail polish are all complementary things that help with becoming a ninja too! Not that an idiot who obsesses over training every day would understand that!"
"That's totally true." Cho-Cho agreed. "Appearances matter a lot."
"Hold on guys…let's settle down a little." Sumire spoke softly, but was interrupted by other loud students.
"Not if it prevents you from pushing your body to the limit!" Metal Lee cried out.
Eventually, the argument developed into a full blown boys vs. girls shouting match.
Shino sighed deeply in exasperation. "They were doing so well…"
Konohamaru chuckled. "Maybe it's time for a little team-building exercise. I mean, after all, sitting around here just summoning scrolls isn't going to be that great on their nerves. I was like that once when I was younger."
"You do have a point." Shino mused. "Besides, it would be a good way to test their combat aptitude and teamwork abilities for the final exams."
He clapped his hands.
"Everyone, listen up!" All of the students stopped their shouting match to look over at their sensei.
"Capture the flag for everyone here. Boys versus girls. Battle starts after lunch."
Cheers and groans echoed around the room.
After lunch, everyone was washing up and getting ready for the "Capture the Flag" battle.
But there was one figure who had other intentions for this battle.
"There aren't any negative emotions out there that I can manipulate." The figure muttered. "I guess Konoha learned from my strikes early on from three years ago."
This wasn't the first time that the figure had attacked Konoha in order to drain and absorb chakra from citizens to fuel her project. The attacks however, had put Konoha on high alert, and she was forced to stop her project temporarily in order to lure them into a false sense of security.
"But now…now we can begin the plan in earnest." The figure whispered, before making their way to the Academy.
Chapter 3: Clash of Wills
Notes:
Hey guys! I hope the past month has treated you all well! College starts next week for me, and this week was orientation so it was pretty hectic for me! Thankfully I was able to get some time in to edit this chapter, so I hope it's to your guy's liking! Next chapter will be out on September 6th, so keep a lookout, especially since that's when things begin to pick up!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
The morning sun hung low, a pale orb in the sky, casting slanted beams of light through the academy’s windows. The golden rays illuminated motes of dust that danced in the air like tiny, suspended stars, oblivious to the simmering tension below. The training yard, a sprawling expanse of packed dirt and battered target dummies, was divided in half by a thin, rope-line—a simple boundary that felt as absolute as a canyon.
A tense silence simmered among the boys clustered on the east side of the yard, their focus locked on the mock battlefield. The air was thick with competitive energy, the weight of a friendly but fiercely contested rivalry. Boruto and Shikadai stood at the center of the group, a natural duo of recklessness and strategy. Boruto, with his spiky blond hair and confident smirk, was a whirlwind of unpredictable energy. Shikadai, with his hands tucked deep in his pockets and his eyes half-lidded, was the calm, calculating eye of the storm. Around them, Iwabee, Asahi, Mitsuki, and the rest of the boys listened intently, their individual energies coalescing into a single-minded force.
“Alright,” Boruto began, scratching his cheek with the butt of a kunai. His grin was wide, brimming with a mischievous energy that was his signature. “Iwabee, Asahi—you two use Earth Style to set up a defensive wall around our flag. Reinforce it and stay back to guard it. Mitsuki and I will rig traps. The rest of you follow Shikadai’s lead to push forward.”
Iwabee cracked his knuckles, a wide, confident grin on his face. He felt the familiar thrill of battle, a low hum of power in his veins. The promise of a physical confrontation was a lure he couldn’t resist. “Easy work. We'll have this flag locked down so tight the girls won’t even get close.”
“Don’t underestimate them,” Shikadai muttered, his eyes, half-lidded with a lazy focus, sweeping over the girls' side of the field. His mind was already at work, a complex web of probabilities and counter-probabilities unfolding. He knew the girls' team, and he knew their leader.
“Sarada’s probably planning her own little invasion. She wants to win this more than any of us, and that makes her predictable.”
Shikadai knew Sarada was more headstrong and resilient than most in the class. It made her a fierce rival who would never give up, but it also gave her tunnel vision. She saw every battle as a straight line to victory, and that single-minded focus was a flaw. Which, Shikadai and Boruto would happily take advantage of if the opportunity presented itself.
It’s always a rush, a head-on charge with her, Shikadai thought, his mind already piecing together the girls’ likely plan. She wants to prove something, and she’ll sacrifice everything for a clean win. That’s our opening.
With that, Shikadai and the others marched forward to engage the girls, leaving Iwabee, Asahi, Mitsuki, and Boruto to their tasks.
Across the field, on the other side of the rope-line, the girls were a different kind of unit. Sarada stood before them, her arms crossed and her crimson gaze firm. Aoi Uzumaki, Chōchō, Rei Yamanaka, and the rest were gathered around her, waiting for instructions. Her mind reeled with thoughts of victory, of a flawless win that would prove her competence and show that she was more than just her bloodline. The weight of her father's name, the history of the Uchiha, was a constant, crushing pressure. She was annoyed that everyone else was spouting ideas about traps and whatever nonsensical ideas they had when they needed to move forward and prove their superiority by crushing them in a head-on battle.
"Traps? Traps are for cowards who can't win a real fight," she thought, her body burning with the desire to unleash her full potential. "We need to be faster. Stronger. I need to show them what a true Uchiha can do."
“We don’t need to waste time with traps,” Sarada spoke out, pushing herself to the front of the group. “We push through. Fast. Clean. If we let them slow us down, they win.”
Aoi, a calm and observant girl from the Uzumaki clan, raised a hesitant hand. "Shouldn’t we set traps first—"
“No time. We’re going on my count.” Sarada interrupted, shooting a sharp glare at Aoi.
Didn’t they understand? There wasn’t any time for traps; they needed to crush the boys with a quick, precise and flawless victory! This was one of the only chances she had before graduation to prove herself, to prove that she wasn't just Sasuke's daughter, but a great shinobi in her own right.
A few girls exchanged glances. Chōchō and some others looked unconvinced but said nothing, which annoyed Sarada to no end. Didn't best friends have each other’s back? She saw their doubt, but refused to acknowledge it, instead taking it as a personal insult.
"They're doubting me," she thought, a flash of bitterness crossing her mind. "They think I can't do it alone. They think I'll fail."
“I…I think Sarada’s plan is good enough.” Sumire spoke softly, glancing around at everyone, her quiet voice seeming to hold more weight. “Besides, we do need to move quickly if we want any chance at beating the boys, right?”
Each of the girls looked at each other, and nodded in agreement, with Sarada watching them, a flash of annoyance in her eyes. Of course, they’d agree with the Class Rep, ignoring the countless times Sarada had tried to prove herself to the others. But everyone thought that she was too aggressive, and too bossy. How foolish. But there would be time to reflect on that later after she would single-handedly lead her team to victory.
They moved out, a unified front on the surface, but with a growing undercurrent of doubt and resentment.
Smoke bombs burst in violet clouds, obscuring vision and forcing a defensive posture. Shuriken flew like deadly hummingbirds, their metallic glint catching the sun as they arced through the air, clattering against kunai and bouncing off logs.
The ground trembled as Iwabee and Asahi slammed their hands down, and with a shared shout of "Doton: Doryūheki!" (Earth Style: Earth-Style Wall), a formidable wall of rock and hardened mud rose from the ground, encasing their flag in a makeshift fortress. The air smelled of damp earth and fresh stone.
Meanwhile, in the dense brush at the edges of the field, Boruto and Mitsuki had vanished, silently laying down a web of unseen traps. Thin, almost invisible wires were strung ankle-high, leading to small, unassuming paper bombs hidden beneath leaves. Boruto, with a mischievous grin, was even burying a few fake flags to lead the girls' charge astray, using a simple transformation jutsu. Mitsuki moved with a preternatural grace, his body slithering through the foliage like a snake, his long, extended arms setting traps with cold, surgical precision.
On the front lines, Sarada launched her attack with a furious kick, her chakra-enhanced strength sending a student that was in her way flying. She was a blur of motion, her movements precise and aggressive.
Metal Lee met her charge head-on, his taijutsu a flurry of kicks and punches, his movements so fast they were almost a blur. "F-Father's taijutsu!" he stuttered, a flash of nerves momentarily breaking his concentration, but his movements didn't waver. Sarada was forced to dodge, her anger growing as the direct assault she wanted was being met with a wall of sheer speed.
Behind Metal Lee, Inojin unrolled a scroll and quickly drew a pair of ink lions with a single stroke. "Super Beast Scroll!" he whispered, and the lions leaped from the paper, their ink bodies solidified into living creatures. They pounced, forcing Sarada to jump back, her eyes narrowed in annoyance.
"Chōchō, now!" she yelled.
Chōchō, lumbering but surprisingly agile, stepped forward. "Human Bullet Tank!" she shouted, her body expanding and tucking into a sphere. She launched herself forward, a fleshy cannonball of pure force, and the ink lions were sent flying back as they dispersed back into ink. Inojin, however, was already a step ahead.
He rolled out another scroll, this time drawing a flock of birds that flew over Chōchō and dropped ink bombs on her. She shrieked, annoyed, and used her hands to protect herself, but the ink bombs splattered all over her, staining her pink shirt with ink.
As the chaos of the front lines continued, Shikadai, the tactician, remained in the background, his mind a whirlwind of strategies. He watched as his team fought, his eyes half-lidded with a lazy focus. He could see that the girls were getting frustrated and overextended, which was exactly what he wanted. He gave Kazu a subtle nod, who was a quiet boy with a shy, unassuming demeanor. Kazu, however, understood the signal, and he quickly wove a series of hand signs, his body tensing, and his hands began to glow a vibrant, chakra-filled green.
Kazu, seeing his opening, quietly weaved a series of hand signs, his body tensing as jagged black markings, reminiscent of a curse mark, began to spread across his arm and face. "Sage Transformation: Burst!" he muttered, his eyes glowing a bright, vibrant green for a brief moment. He slammed his fist down on the ground, and a small but powerful fissure appeared, which was aimed at Sarada.
Sarada, however, was too fast, and she easily jumped out of the way. She landed on the other side of the fissure, and her eyes flashed with a fiery mix of anger and the stinging shame of her own inadequacy. She was so focused on Kazu, that she didn’t see Metal Lee, who was now behind her, and he delivered a powerful roundhouse kick, sending her flying into the air.
Sarada’s frustration at being outmaneuvered made her blind to her surroundings. The kick caught her completely by surprise, and she soared through the air in a painful arc, landing with a jarring thud that sent a cloud of dust billowing around her, which only made her rage grow further.
“Boruto, I need you and Mitsuki to do something once you finish setting up the traps.” Shikadai spoke, his voice low and strategic as he gathered the two boys in a secluded area, away from the chaos.
“Would you like us to back you up?” Mitsuki asked, ever-observant and ready.
“No, I suspect Sarada will be committing her forces to a full assault…leaving her flag largely undefended.” Shikadai explained. “I can’t sneak in there; they would guess something’s wrong immediately, me having the reputation of a strategist and all of that.”
“Won’t they suspect something’s wrong if I don’t show up?” Boruto asked, his voice filled with a hint of concern. After all, he did like to be very flashy, and show off at times.
“That’s why I’m going to lead the charge. Hopefully, they’ll think that I’ve reined you in and have you two guarding the flag, while in actuality you two are heading for the flag.”
With those words in mind, Boruto snuck through the academy halls until he reached the girls’ flag—or rather, the place where it should’ve been. He paused, their eyes scanning the room, looking for any traps or a hidden ambush.
Boruto came to an abrupt stop just inside the doorway, his eyes darting around the room, expecting to see a maze of wire traps, paper bombs, or at least a few shadow clones lying in wait. He found none of that. No traps. No guards. Just Aoi, waiting casually, a kunai in her hand, her posture relaxed and unworried.
"I figured you’d come," she said.
This might be a problem. Boruto was fairly confident he could defeat Aoi, but it wouldn’t be easy, and he would be very hard-pressed to do so before anyone from the girls’ side overheard the combat noises and came to check on Aoi.
Nearby, a white snake slithered unseen toward the flag.
He would have to stall a little longer for Mitsuki to make his move.
“So uhh…you guys didn’t set up any traps?” Boruto questioned, looking around the room for any clues or signs.
"Sarada's orders," Aoi said, her smile fading into a frown. "She shot down every single idea. She wants the sole credit of beating you guys. It's... kinda sad, you know?" Aoi's tone was laced with a mix of pity and frustration. "Some of the things she said, they really hurt the girls." She looked at Boruto, her expression softening. "Do you know what's going on with her?"
Boruto, however, just shrugged. He wasn't about to talk smack about his teammate, even if she was being a pain. Loyalty was loyalty, and he knew how much Sarada hated being looked down on.
"She’s just trying so hard," he thought. "She’s probably got her own shadow to deal with. Just like I have to deal with my dad’s."
Still, he couldn't help but feel a flicker of concern for her. She was so focused on winning, so angry, that she was pushing everyone away. "I'm not gonna air her dirty laundry," he said, his voice softer than he intended. It was a simple statement, but it carried a weight of understanding he didn't quite know how to articulate.
Aoi nodded, a look of respect on her face. "It doesn't matter anyway," she said, her smile returning. "This just gives me a chance to fight my cousin. It's been a while, hasn't it?"
Boruto grinned back. "Yeah, it has."
Their kunai clashed in a burst of sparks. Aoi moved fast, low, countering his footwork with crisp strikes. Her style was precise, defensive, a stark contrast to Boruto's flashy offense. Boruto ducked under a slash and threw a kunai at her. She dodged, only for the kunai to disappear in a puff of smoke, and got kicked in the side by a clone. As he landed, a flash of purple in the corner of his vision caught his attention. It was a faint, almost transparent whisper of chakra seeping from a crack in the wall, too subtle to be part of a normal jutsu.
She hit the ground and rolled, eyes wide with amusement. "You haven’t changed, cousin."
Aoi quickly weaved signs, her hands a blur. “Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!”
A small, but formidable, water dragon shot from her mouth, coiling through the air towards Boruto. Boruto, caught off guard by the speed, quickly dodged, but the water dragon followed, its teeth snapping at him. He quickly created another shadow clone, and the clone quickly threw a kunai at the water dragon, causing it to disperse into a spray of water.
“You’ve gotten faster, Aoi!” Boruto yelled, his grin wide. “But I’ve gotten smarter.” He noticed more of the faint purple chakra, this time from a different crack in the ceiling, as he prepared his next attack.
He quickly created three shadow clones, and all four of them surrounded Aoi, their hands flashing through signs for a jutsu. Aoi, however, just smirked, and quickly used a Substitution Jutsu, turning into a log and disappearing from the area. The four Borutos hit the log, with two of them hitting the log with a jutsu of their own.
“Lightning Style: Static Shock Jutsu!” The two clones yelled, and a small burst of lightning shot out from their hands, hitting the log with a crackling pop.
“That won’t work, Boruto.” Aoi spoke from behind him. “I’m a water style user, so I’m more than prepared to handle your lightning jutsu.” She then quickly punched Boruto in the back of the head, causing Boruto to flail forward and hit the ground, but he quickly used the momentum to roll backward and avoid another punch from Aoi. Boruto saw the purple chakra again, this time swirling around the base of Aoi's feet before disappearing.
"I can use Water Style too," Boruto thought, a flicker of irritation crossing his mind. "But my Water Style sucks. It takes way too much chakra to make even a small wave, and it's nothing compared to her. I guess that makes sense, though. Her dad is Suigetsu. He's practically made of water."
He needed to be smarter than a head-on clash. Her defense was her Water Style, and her Water Style would snuff out his lightning. "Think, think... what's her weakness?" She was a water user, so that meant she had a weakness to her own element.
Boruto pushed himself up from the floor, his eyes narrowing in a focused glint. He had an idea. It wasn't flashy, and it wasn't a direct attack, but it was a plan. He feigned a move toward the flagpole, drawing Aoi’s attention. As she moved to intercept, he threw two shuriken, but they were a diversion. She batted them away easily with a stream of water, but in that split-second, Boruto had already disappeared.
Aoi, however, was already a step ahead of him. She slammed her hand to the ground, and a wave of water rushed toward where he had been standing. Boruto appeared behind her, but another wave of water was already coming toward him, forcing him to somersault backwards to avoid the jutsu.
"You're not going to get the flag that easily, cousin," Aoi said, a wide smile on her face. "You're a great strategist, but you're not going to win."
Boruto landed, and his hands were already weaving signs, this time for a simple jutsu, a shadow clone, who quickly threw three kunai at her. Aoi, however, was already weaving signs of her own, and a small puddle of water appeared at the base of her feet, forming into a makeshift shield that quickly blocked all of the shuriken aimed at her.
"My turn," Aoi said, and a stream of water shot out from her feet, rushing toward Boruto. Boruto channeled chakra into his knees, and with a burst of effort, managed to jump high into the air to avoid the stream of water racing towards him.
Mid air, the son of the Hokage quickly weaved signs in a flash, creating two clones that had wind chakra swirling around their palms with devastating power. The clones placed their hands upon Boruto, and upon impact, the young genin was sent zooming.
Not towards Aoi. But towards the flag.
But as he flew toward it, Aoi quickly yelled out, "Water Style: Exploding Water Colliding Jutsu!" and a massive vortex of water appeared from the ground, grabbing Boruto and trapping him within it.
"I win, cousin," Aoi said, her smile wide.
But then, the Boruto inside the vortex disappeared in a puff of smoke, and the kunai that Boruto’s clone had thrown earlier erupted in a puff of smoke, revealing the real Boruto behind her, a kunai to Aoi’s neck.
"Actually, I won, cousin," Boruto said, a grin forming on his face.
“As long as the flag is still in the base, you haven’t won anything.” Aoi retorted, an annoyed look growing on her face as she racked her brain on ideas on how to escape her predicament. Aoi wasn’t in the mood to hear Sarada’s complaining and whatever nonsense she wanted to come up with just because Aoi couldn’t keep the flag.
“You mean this flag?” a voice called.
Both of the Uzumakis looked up towards the voice to see Mitsuki, with the pale genin holding the flag.
Aoi's eyes widened and she was about to have an outburst of rage at losing, when she remembered that this was her cousin and his best friend.
Granted, she could still be upset about losing, but that didn’t mean she had to take out her anger on Boruto and Mitsuki. Especially when the whole reason why she even had to do this in the first place was because Sarada refused to listen to reason.
Besides, Aoi inwardly admitted that it was a very good plan in and of itself.
With that, a genuine grin broke across her face. "You got me," she admitted, throwing her hands up in defeat. "I didn't even sense the clone." She walked over to him, her posture relaxed, the competitive tension gone. "That was a good plan, Boruto. You're getting good at this."
Boruto felt a warm sense of pride. He hadn't just won; he had earned his cousin's respect. "Thanks, Aoi! You're no slouch yourself. That water dragon was awesome."
As they shared the moment of mutual victory and respect, Boruto's eyes were drawn to the faint, purple whispers of chakra appearing from the walls. They were almost imperceptible, like smoke from a dying fire, and they seemed to flow toward something unseen. It felt... weird, and a prickle of unease ran down his spine.
"Hey…what was that purple chakra you were using?" Boruto asked, his voice tinged with curiosity, as he finally put his observation into a question.
“Purple chakra?” Aoi replied, her voice tinged with confusion at Boruto’s words.
Boruto had been about to explain further when his words died in his throat. The faint purple chakra he'd been seeing throughout the fight was no longer faint. It surged from every crack in the walls and floor, thickening into roiling, malevolent tendrils that snaked across the room. The air grew heavy, thick with a nauseating feeling of dread and despair. He felt it not just in his eyes, but in his very soul—a cold, sickening wave of pure, unfiltered hatred. It felt like every dark thought, every angry word, every act of cruelty that had ever occurred within this world was being drawn out and made manifest.
Aoi, who had been listening to him, gasped in pain. Her eyes, which had been so full of playful rivalry just moments ago, were now wide with an unnerving, vacant terror. Tears began to stream down her face, and her body spasmed as she clutched her head.
“So much…so much darkness! So much hatred!” Aoi whispered, tears forming in her eyes. Her voice was a pained, fragile thing, a desperate cry against the overwhelming negativity.
"Aoi, what's wrong?!" Boruto shouted, the words feeling futile as he reached for her. He could feel the emotions now, a terrifying resonance that wasn't his own, but was consuming his cousin. The purple chakra was a physical embodiment of the pain, and it was flowing outside.
Where everybody was fighting.
Meanwhile, on the main field, Rei and Sumire, both quiet and observant, were trying to follow their own instincts, despite Sarada's orders.
Sumire, using a low-level jutsu, summoned a tiny, frog-like creature from her sleeve. It was small, no bigger than a finger, and was a pale purple, almost invisible to the naked eye. "Go," she whispered, and it scurried toward a section of the field where she had felt a slight disturbance in the chakra flow. Her hope was that her small companion would trigger a trap or, at the very least, give her a clear sign of where the boys were hiding.
Inojin, who was still recovering from Chōchō's earlier attack, saw the creature. He rolled out a fresh scroll and, with a quick, elegant stroke, painted a small ink bird that flew toward the creature, a small blast of ink in its beak. "Super Beast Scroll: Bird!" he whispered, and the bird dropped its payload. The ink exploded, and the creature was caught in the blast, its mission failing before it could even begin.
Rei, however, had a more direct approach. Her sensory abilities were highly attuned, and she could feel the chakra of every person in the battlefield. She could feel the boys' chakra signature, but she also felt something else, a faint, almost imperceptible chakra signature that was slightly off, not a clone, not a boy, but something… unnatural. She was the only one who could feel it and she had a hunch about its location.
She moved with an almost ethereal grace, her body weaving through the chaos of the battlefield. She dodged a kunai here, a kick there, her mind focused on that faint, unnatural chakra signature. It led her toward the quiet boy, Kazu, and as he began to weave hand signs, she felt the same feeling that she had felt before. The same unnatural chakra, but this time, it was more powerful, more real.
"Kazu, I've got you now!" she yelled, her voice filled with confidence. She quickly weaved a series of hand signs of her own, "Wind Style: Great Breakthrough Jutsu!"
A massive gust of wind shot from her mouth, aimed directly at Kazu. Kazu, however, was prepared. He quickly slammed his hands down, and a wall of hardened mud rose from the ground, blocking the wind. But the blast of wind was so strong that it shattered the mud wall, and Kazu was sent flying back, his eyes wide in surprise.
"Kaiti, now!" Rei yelled, and Kaiti Sarutobi, who had been waiting for her moment, moved forward.
Kaiti was a girl with a fierce determination in her eyes, and a physical prowess that was unmatched in the class. She moved with a speed that defied her size, her body a blur of motion as she charged at Shikadai. He was a tactician, and she was going to exploit that. She was going to force him to fight, to use his own skills against him, and to prove that he was more than just a smart guy.
"Sarutobi-style taijutsu!" she yelled, her movements fast and precise as she moved in to land a hit on Shikadai. He was a tactician, not a fighter, and she was going to prove that to everyone.
Shikadai, caught off guard, was forced to defend, his hands moving to block Kaiti's powerful blows. Her movements were wild and unpredictable, and he was struggling to keep up.
"You're a great fighter, Kaiti!" he said, his voice strained as he blocked a powerful kick from her.
"And you're a terrible one!" she yelled back, her eyes burning with a fiery determination.
The battle raged, a blur of motion and jutsu. Sarada, fueled by her own anger, was a force of nature. She landed a hard roundhouse kick on Inojin, the impact a jarring thud that sent him stumbling back. As she lunged forward again, aiming a series of lightning-fast punches at Metal Lee, Cho-Chō struggled to keep up, her movements heavy and uncoordinated.
"Something’s wrong," Cho-Chō said, her voice strained, breath ragged as she tried to block an incoming kunai. The flow of the battle, the way the boys were maneuvering... it felt off. They were too organized, too coordinated, while her team was falling apart. "This doesn’t feel right!"
Sarada spun, her fists clenching at Cho-Chō's words. She’s just trying to undermine me, she thought, dodging a shuriken that flew past her face. They’re all doubting me. They're waiting for me to fail. Just like everyone else. She pointedly ignored Cho-Chō, her focus narrowed to the fight, to the need to prove her strength, her superiority.
“You never listen!” Cho-Chō snapped, a sharp edge of hurt in her voice as she barely ducked under a kick from Inojin. "I’m trying to help! I’m trying to be your friend, but you won’t let me in!" The frustration mounted, not just from the battle, but from the chasm growing between them. “You didn’t even care what we had to say!”
Sarada’s eyes flashed with a fiery mix of anger and the stinging shame of her own inadequacy. She wouldn’t understand. None of them do. "They can afford to lose, but I can't."
The pressure to be perfect, to be flawless, was a constant weight on her shoulders, and her friends' hesitation felt like another burden. She landed on her feet, planted her boots firmly on the ground, and stared down Cho-Chō, her voice cutting through the din of battle. “Then shut up and get out of my way!”
A flash of hurt crossed Cho-Chō’s face as the words rang through her ears, and Sarada instantly regretted them.
The words hung in the air, a silent, painful scream, before a new sound tore through the academy.
A low, guttural rumble started somewhere deep beneath them, a sound like a mountain groaning under impossible weight. The ground trembled violently, not with the familiar tremors of an Earth Style jutsu, but with a deep, unnatural force. A high-pitched, piercing sonic boom followed, shaking the very foundations of the building. The windows on all sides of the training yard spiderwebbed and then shattered outward, sending a cascade of glittering glass across the field.
Dust and debris rained down from the ceiling as it groaned and buckled, its plaster cracking and peeling away. A massive chunk of the wall Iwabee and Asahi had so diligently built just moments ago crumbled to rubble, the stones dislodging with a deafening roar.
All eyes turned upward, their expressions a mix of fear and disbelief, their mock battle utterly forgotten. From the gaping hole in the ceiling, a monstrous creature descended.
It was a chimera of scale and shadow, a grotesque fusion of different animals that defied all known biology. Its skin was a mottled patchwork of scales and fur, its limbs twisted and disproportionate. Its head was a nightmare, with a wide, gaping maw and eyes that glowed with a malevolent, purple light.
A monstrous roar tore through the academy, a sound that was less a cry of rage and more a declaration of pure, unadulterated hunger. It was also a name: "NUE!"
The battle froze. All students, boys and girls alike, were paralyzed by the sight. Kunai were lowered, jutsu forgotten, replaced by a primal instinct for survival.
Boruto staggered out from the back room, clutching the flag, with Mitsuki and Aoi close behind. They were both in a state of shock, their faces pale as they watched the monster wreak havoc. The purple chakra was gone from the back room, and was now rushing toward the beast in thick, roiling tendrils, coiling around its form and making it grow even larger and more powerful.
Shikadai, his mind racing to comprehend the incomprehensible, found his tactical brilliance failing him. He was a strategist; this was not a strategy. This was an ambush from a force of nature. He could only manage to call out, "Defend them!" to the other boys, a plea for the genin to defend each other rather than a strategic command.
But it was too late. The beast lunged, its eyes locked on the group of students. Its maw opened wide, a swirling vortex of purple chakra gathering within its throat, and a wave of raw, destructive energy was released toward the group.
Everything went white.
Notes:
ince the Boruto Chapter came out recently, I thought I might do a review on it everytime I post a new chapter!
The new chapter is kinda ehh...Sumire and Sarada talking about idiotic shit that really didn't need to happen for Sarada's growth and development and ultimately serves no purpose unless Sumire is somehow getting a big role. Matsuri and Ryu felt like wasted potential that had no impact on the story and didn't live up to the hype outside of awakening Sarada's MS. Kurama training with Himawari was pretty nice though.
And as for Momoshiki...ugh. Dude is literally a joke of a villain that was hyped up as causing Boruto despair and that 'bad' things would happen when he possessed Boruto. But so far, there's been no stakes, no plotting anything, just being depressed...which makes the whole Karma struggle with Boruto lack a lot of weigh and feel pointless lol.
Overall I give it a 5/10. Pretty disappointing considering I like the ideas that Boruto has, just that the author poorly executes those ideas.
Chapter 4: The Beast of Vengeance
Notes:
Hey guys! I hope the past month has gone well for all of you! College has been a pretty good blast for me, but it's also a lot of hard work lol. Next Chapter will release on September 20th, so look forward to that! With all that being said, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!
Chapter Text
“Shit.” Konohamaru hissed, grabbing his trench knives and rushing from the security office. He and Shino raced toward the Academy, their faces grim.
“Was this a part of the lesson?” Konohamaru asked, his voice strained as he pushed his chakra to its limit.
“Obviously not. This thing… it has far too much killing intent for a regular summon, and its presence feels off,” Shino replied, matching his pace. “I believe this may have been planned… and if that is the case, we need to get there as fast as possible.”
“But can the kids survive that long before we get there!” Konohamaru snarled, his thoughts consumed by the innocent students, the very reason he had fought for the Leaf. He had endured the pain of losing his grandfather, Hiruzen, so that kids wouldn't have to face this kind of horror. Now, those same kids were in danger, especially one he considered a younger brother.
“Boruto…” Konohamaru thought, the memories of their pranks and funny moments flashing through his mind. “Don’t worry guys… just survive for as long as you can!” His knuckles turned bone-white as he tightly grasped his trench knives.
The air turned thick and heavy in the seconds after the monstrous cry. All the students froze, the dust from the cracked ceiling falling like ash, a grim blanket over the battlefield. A chilling silence gripped the training hall, a horrifying prelude to what was to come. Then, with a deafening roar and a shower of plaster and broken wood, the Nue crashed through the roof.
Screams erupted, a dissonant chorus of terror. The grotesque, chimeric creature, a nightmare of twisted flesh and malevolent chakra, landed with a seismic thud. Its body, a patchwork of scales, fur, and bone, shimmered with an unnatural, sickly-purple glow, a living curse made manifest. It was bigger, more intimidating, and far more terrifying than the whispers of chakra had suggested. Its multiple tails, each ending in a jagged bone spike, lashed out like whips of destruction, splintering floorboards and tossing desks and training dummies like twigs.
A dark surge of chakra emanated from its gaping maw, a suffocating pressure that pulled the students to their knees. All of them trembled, a primal sense of impending death seizing their minds. They dropped their kunai in fear, the metallic clatter a small sound against the beast's roars. Some screamed and collapsed, their energy draining rapidly, their bodies going limp as if their very life force was being sucked away. None of them realized it yet, but the Nue was a parasite, feeding on their chakra, growing stronger with every panicked breath.
“W-what the hell is this thing?” Sarada thought, her body paralyzed with a deep, instinctive fear as she gazed upon the beast. Images flashed through her mind: Boruto’s reckless grin, Mitsuki’s placid smile, her mother’s warm, kind eyes—all of them dying, their faces distorted in a final scream. She saw the beast advancing toward the fallen students, its bone-plated claws primed to rip them apart.
“Damn it body…” Sarada trembled, her muscles locked in place by a fear she had never known. “I need you to move… today’s the day I can prove myself to the others!” The thought, a desperate, self-righteous prayer, was a flicker of defiance in the face of her terror. The Uchiha slowly and shakily raised her kunai, resting the point against her palm. “So… I need you to MOVE!” Sarada’s mind roared, a furious, internal battle cry, as she shoved the kunai into her hand.
A sharp, searing pain shot through her, dispelling the fog of fear and clearing her mind. With a gasp, she dashed forward, kunai in hand, her legs finally obeying her will. She didn’t think—she couldn’t think. All she felt was the pounding need to be the one who made a difference, to prove that she wasn't just a shadow of her father, a "traitor's daughter." Her heart roared louder than the beast. If she could bring it down, maybe they’d stop comparing her to him. Maybe she’d finally stop comparing herself to him.
“Sarada, wait—!” Cho-Cho called, her voice thick with panic and concern.
But Sarada didn’t stop. She leapt toward the beast, her body a blur of motion, her movements clumsy but fueled by pure adrenaline. The Nue, however, was faster than she could comprehend. It swung a massive, bone-plated tail with the sound of a cracking whip. Sarada, airborne and completely exposed, was swatted out of the air like a fly, the impact sending her spinning across the floor. She hit the ground with a sickening grunt, a cloud of dust puffing around her as the kunai flew from her hand.
Cho-Cho, her fear momentarily forgotten, rushed to her side. “Are you insane?! We need a plan!” she yelled, trying to help Sarada sit up.
Sarada pushed her away, blood trickling from a deep gash on her temple, her eyes still locked on the beast. “I’m not like the rest of you—I can’t wait around!” she spat, the words a mix of frustration and desperation. I can’t fail again. I won’t.
“You’ll die trying to prove that!” Cho-Cho yelled back, tears brimming in her eyes. The pain in her voice was real, a raw, sharp emotion that hit Sarada harder than the Nue's tail.
Sarada flinched but didn’t respond, the guilt a cold stone in her stomach.
However, due to Sarada’s reckless action, most of the students were knocked out of their fear-dazed trance and, with newfound courage, rushed toward the beast as well. But it was all for naught as the beast knocked them down and critically injured some of them, its chakra-sucking aura draining them even more.
Boruto blinked, stunned for half a second. She actually ran straight at it. A grin, a mixture of shock and admiration, tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Guess I can’t let her show me up,” he muttered to himself, his own bravado returning with a vengeance. He darted toward the beast, weaving past fallen debris with a series of quick, choppy steps that kept him light on his feet. “Yo! Try not to hog all the glory!” he shouted toward Sarada, forming two clones mid-sprint with a quick seal.
The fear he’d felt moments earlier was gone, replaced by something electric. This is it, he thought, a rush of pure, unadulterated excitement flooding his veins. This is what being a ninja is supposed to feel like. A shadow of excitement passed through his chest. It was dangerous. Reckless. But kind of… fun. He threw a kunai toward Nue’s eye with a flourish, his clone aiming for its legs. “Let’s see what this thing’s got!”
The beast's reaction was instantaneous. With a flick of a finger-like claw, it deflected Boruto's kunai mid-air, sending it clattering harmlessly to the ground. Then, with a flash of movement too fast to follow, it slammed its paw down on Boruto’s clone. A puff of smoke and a sickening crack were all that remained, the brutal memory of the clone's 'death' shocking Boruto. The beast used this chance to rush toward the real Boruto, its massive body lumbering forward with surprising speed. Mitsuki, seeing the danger, yelled a warning and tried to rescue him, his arm already morphing into a serpentine whip.
But it was too fast. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as the monstrous claws, sharp as razors and black as pitch, descended. Boruto saw them coming, a final, terrifying image burned into his mind. He couldn't move. He couldn't scream. In that split second, he didn't see a monster; he saw his mother and father’s warm smiles and Himawari's bright eyes. He thought of all the times he'd taken them for granted, of all the words he'd left unsaid. His body felt heavy, his chakra spent. This was it. It was over. All his bravado and reckless courage were for nothing. He was just a child, and he was about to die.
However, Shikadai was prepared. With a series of lightning-fast hand signs, he used the Shadow Possession technique to grab Boruto and toss him out of the way just as the claws met the ground where he had just been. During this, Boruto saw the purple chakra surrounding Nue and how it attached itself to other students, leeching their chakra.
“It’s absorbing chakra,” Boruto whispered, the realization hitting him with a jolt. His voice was grim, devoid of the usual bravado.
Mitsuki, his face a mask of cold fury, attacked the beast with a vengeance, his movements fluid and serpentine. He performed the seals for "Lightning Style: Snake Lightning!" with a speed that belied his calm demeanor. A radiant bolt of electricity in the shape of a serpent lunged forward, coiling around Nue's leg and shocking the beast. Nue roared in pain, its body convulsing for a brief moment before it gathered its strength and with a powerful thwack of its tail, sent Mitsuki flying into a concrete wall with a loud crash.
As Mitsuki was knocked down, Aoi, the quiet daughter of Karin and Suigetsu, sprang into action. She was a sensory ninja, able to perceive the chakra of others in a way that few could. She’d watched the beast, sensing the sickening way it drew the chakra from the unconscious students. She took a deep breath, focusing her own chakra, and rushed forward, a blur of motion. Her hand signs were quick and precise. “Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave!” A torrent of water erupted from her mouth, a swirling, violent wall of liquid that slammed into the beast's face, momentarily blinding it and pushing it back.
The Nue roared in fury, shaking its head to clear its eyes. It lashed out with a tail, and Aoi, sensing the attack, dodged, but the force of the wind from the passing tail was enough to send her flying into a wall. She hit the ground with a soft grunt, dazed but conscious. The beast was too fast.
Seeing their comrade fall, Kaiti and Kazu, best friends since the start of the academy, rushed forward. “We're a team!” Kaiti yelled, a battle cry of sorts. Kaiti, the Sarutobi, performed a swift set of hand signs, inhaling deeply. "Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!" A massive sphere of fire, larger than anything he had ever produced in practice, erupted from his mouth, roaring toward the beast. The heat was immense, causing the air to shimmer.
At the same time, Kazu, the son of Jugo, felt the volatile power inside him stir. The Nue’s roar and the intense chakra it was draining seemed to resonate with his own nature chakra. He felt a familiar, wild surge of power. Dark, jagged markings began to spread rapidly from his neck down his right arm, a physical manifestation of the Sage Transformation’s first stage. The power surged through him, and his right arm, now covered in the cursed marks, felt unnaturally strong. With a roar that wasn't quite his own, he slammed his enhanced fist into the ground, sending a powerful shockwave toward the beast. The ground cracked under the immense pressure.
Kaiti’s fireball hit the Nue with a deafening roar of fire, followed by Kazu’s shockwave that caused the beast to stagger. The Nue let out a pained shriek, but its wounds began to visibly heal. The pain in Kazu’s arm was immense; the uncontrolled power was too much for his young body. He collapsed, his arm reverting to normal, a wave of exhaustion washing over him. The Nue, now enraged, swatted Kaiti and Kazu aside as if they were nothing, sending them flying into a wall. They both fell unconscious, their efforts in vain.
“Half the students are already down,” Shikadai hissed, his eyes darting from Nue to the fallen students, his mind already calculating the odds. “If this keeps on going…” The unsaid statement that the class likely wouldn’t live through this day went through everyone’s ears.
“I need a plan… quickly…” Shikadai thought, as the beast, now a whirlwind of destructive fury, thrashed wildly. Its multiple tails became blurs, splintering the remaining desks and tearing deep gouges into the floor with each strike.
It wasn't just a physical assault; a palpable aura of fear and despair radiated from it, a silent, sickening hum that fed on the students' terror and drained their remaining strength. The air crackled with its malicious chakra, and every movement was a testament to its growing power. It lunged at the nearest group, its grotesque claws swiping and forcing them to scatter in panicked disarray. The floor groaned under its immense weight, and the building shook with every one of its enraged roars.
“Shikadai!” Boruto hissed, having recovered and now standing with a renewed sense of purpose. “I think it can absorb chakra! Most of the students that were coming close to it during combat were the ones that were chakra-exhausted!”
“I see…” Shikadai muttered, his eyes narrowing in thought. “From the looks of it, it doesn’t have any long-range jutsu… it seems to prefer close-quarter combat to absorb our chakra… but for what?” The beast continued its rampage, attacking more students and draining them of their chakra. “No, it doesn’t matter why it needs our chakra, but we can use this to our advantage. We need to keep our distance, deny it the chakra it needs to grow stronger.”
Shikadai called out orders, his voice cutting through the din of battle. “Stun it—hit from range! Use everything you’ve got!”
Asahi nodded, his eyes wide with fear but his resolve firm. He formed a quick seal. “Lightning Clone Jutsu!” His clone darted forward, a decoy that erupted in a powerful blast of electricity, stunning the beast and causing it to stagger.
“Now!” Shikadai yelled, a flicker of confidence in his eyes. He performed the necessary hand signs, and a shadow extended from his feet and raced across the floor. It wrapped around the Nue’s feet, its tendrils climbing its legs and locking the monster in place. The Nue roared in fury, but it was immobile, held fast by the Shadow Possession Jutsu. Shikadai’s face contorted with effort, his knuckles turning white as he pushed his chakra to the absolute limit. He gritted his teeth, his shadow wavering under the immense strain of the Nue's power.
“Earth Style: Flying Thrown Stones!” Iwabee called out, slamming his fists into the ground with a grunt. A torrent of sharp, jagged rocks shot from the earth, spinning rapidly and flying at the beast with the force of bullets.
“Lightning Release: Thunderclap Fist!” Cho-Cho called out, a powerful bolt of lightning shooting from her fist. The attack was a powerful display of her strength, but she couldn't help but shoot a worried glance at Sarada, her heart still aching from their earlier confrontation.
Inojin, seeing his opening, pulled out his scroll and a brush. With a series of frantic, confident strokes, he drew two large, ferocious birds. "Super Beast Imitation Drawing!" he shouted, and the ink on the paper swirled to life, the birds taking on three-dimensional forms. The two ink creatures screeched and flew at the Nue, their talons extended. They slammed into the beast's torso, leaving a temporary, inky stain on its hide before dissolving back into ink.
“Fire Release: Fire Ball Jutsu!” Sarada roared, a flash of guilt crossing her eyes as she inhaled deeply and released a massive sphere of flames. The fireball, larger and hotter than any she had ever produced, was a raw manifestation of her frustration, guilt, and determination to prove herself.
Fire met with earth, lightning arced through wind, and a barrage of chakra engulfed the beast in a blinding explosion of light and sound. The students watched, breathless, a flicker of hope in their eyes. But when the smoke cleared, Nue still stood—injured, but enraged, its wounds visibly healing.
The beast let out a guttural roar, a sound of pure defiance, and with a sickening pop, the Shadow Possession Jutsu was shattered. The shadow, a broken chain, recoiled back to Shikadai, who stumbled back, his body screaming with exhaustion.
“Damn it!” Shikadai hissed. "What was it going to take to bring this guy down?"
It let out a pained howl and lunged again—this time toward Asahi—its eyes wild.
Time slowed as Nue’s teeth slowly reached Asahi Hatake. Asahi was too slow to dodge, react, or do anything. All he could do was stare at his approaching death. “Is this really how it ends? Getting killed by this dumb beast?” Asahi thought.
“Get back!” Konohamaru roared, intercepting with trench knives blazing. He landed a hard kick to Nue’s face, then slashed at its limbs, carving large injuries into its skin.
Shino followed, his hands releasing a swarm of kikaichū that latched onto Nue’s leg, weakening it further and causing the beast to moan in pain.
“This will finish it!” Konohamaru roared, preparing a Large Rasengan to slam into the beast. The whirling sphere of blue, concentrated chakra grew larger with every second.
In the shadows, an unseen observer watched, clenching their fist. “They’re stronger than I thought,” she whispered. “But not enough.” There was enough chakra gathered now from the higher-level Academy ninja that she no longer needed to prolong this fight.
While it would be a great chance to gather more chakra from high-level jonin like Konohamaru and Shino, the risk to Nue would be too great. As Nue became more injured, its chakra-absorbing abilities would weaken. She formed a seal, and Nue vanished in a puff of black smoke.
The room went still. The students groaned, exhausted and confused. The scent of scorched wood and ozone clung to the air, mixing with sweat and smoke. Bits of rubble fell intermittently from the broken ceiling as the last echoes of Nue’s roar faded into a distant memory. The training hall looked like a battlefield: walls cracked, desks overturned, and jagged scorch marks scarred the ground.
A flash of yellow appeared, and there stood Naruto Uzumaki alongside medics. They rushed in, their green flak jackets flapping as they knelt beside the fallen. Aoi clutched her bruised side, struggling to sit upright. Iwabee leaned against a shattered column, face pale but defiant. Cho-Cho sat still, trembling slightly, staring at the place where Sarada had fallen.
Sarada didn’t speak. She hadn’t since the fight ended. She sat on the floor, legs tucked under her, hands clenched around her skirt. Every breath was shallow. A medic approached, but Sarada waved them off with a stiff nod. Her voice didn’t come. She wasn’t sure she had one right now.
She stared at her shaking hands. That was supposed to be my moment. A tinge of jealousy rose at Shikadai for managing to easily get the cooperation of her classmates, while she struggled to even get them to listen. But she quickly pushed that down as she looked over her injured classmates.
Boruto limped over with Mitsuki’s help, both of them scratched and soot-covered. “Hey,” Boruto started, his voice quieter than usual. “You okay?”
Sarada didn’t answer. She kept her eyes on the broken floor beneath her, where the beast’s weight had shattered the tiles. She saw her reflection in a shard—her face twisted by frustration, streaked with dirt and shame.
Mitsuki crouched beside her, his voice softer. “We’re all still alive. That counts for something.”
It doesn’t matter, Sarada thought. I failed. Again. She didn’t meet their eyes.
Naruto gave instructions from across the room, coordinating clean-up and evacuation. “Get the injured to the medical ward.”
“Shino. Konohamaru, I need you two to come with me now for a full debrief.” Naruto spoke as he looked at the two jonin, who nodded. The teachers’ faces were pale with alarm, but they hid it well. The battle had been a shock—sudden, terrifying, and too real. No drills, no second chances.
Naruto looked over the class, seeing faces full of fear and despair. He crouched beside a group of them and spoke gently. "You did well. All of you. I know this wasn’t something any of you were prepared for. And I’m sorry we couldn’t stop it before it happened."
Cho-Cho sniffled. “I thought we were going to die.”
Naruto placed a steady hand on her shoulder. “You’re alive. Because you didn’t abandon each other.” He turned to the rest. “Being a shinobi isn’t just about jutsu or missions. It’s about protecting your comrades—even when you’re afraid. Even when you don’t think you’re ready.” He stood, his voice carrying to the others. “You were attacked. You could’ve panicked or fled. But you fought back and protected each other. I’m proud of every one of you.” His eyes lingered a moment on Boruto. Then on Sarada, whose head remained low. He softened. “If you’re hurting—if you’re afraid—that’s okay. Talk to someone. That’s how we grow. Not by hiding it… but by facing it.”
Later, Konohamaru and Shino stood before Naruto in the Hokage’s office. The air was thick with the scent of old scrolls and fresh worry. “Too close,” Naruto said, his arms crossed tightly over his chest.
His voice was low, devoid of his usual cheerful energy. He felt the cold fear that had paralyzed the students—the same fear he had felt so many times in his own youth—but multiplied by a father’s dread. “That thing… it was draining their chakra.” The students could have died, his son and Sasuke’s daughter among them. Boruto…
He closed his eyes for a moment, seeing the panicked expression on his son’s face. He could not shake the image of his son and his friends, on the verge of death. And for what? Because someone wasn’t brave enough to face him and went after his family instead? Well, no more.
“There’s more,” Shino added, his usual calm demeanor strained. “Reports from nearby districts match the ones we had two years back. People collapsing. Same pattern.”
Naruto’s brow furrowed, a heavy weight settling in his stomach. “I thought that we had cornered and defeated the person behind those attacks.” Three years back, people were infected with “negative chakra,” which made them more aggressive and caused them to absorb chakra from nearby victims before it went to a mysterious source.
They thought they had caught the person responsible, but what if that person was just a stand-in for the mastermind? The purpose of the chakra was still a mystery, and that unresolved thread was now threatening his child. I should have known better than to let my guard down just because of a few years of peace, he thought, a flash of self-reproach burning through him. I created this peaceful world, and now that peace is making them fragile. This isn't the world I wanted for them.
He turned to his advisors. “I want the Council convened. We’re going to double protection, but we need to figure out a solution to this, and fast.”
An hour later, the council chamber was filled with murmurs. The shinobi council had been called into an emergency session. Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akimichi, Hanabi Hyuga, and Kiba Inuzuka were all present. Naruto stood at the head, flanked by Shino and Konohamaru, listening intently to the voices of his generation. He had to be a leader, not just a father. He had to think of all the kids, not just his own.
“This was a targeted attack on academy students!” Kiba’s voice rang out, his fists clenched in frustration. “Kids! And we’re just supposed to carry on like this didn’t happen?”
Naruto felt a pang of agreement, but he knew Kiba's rage was fueled by a father’s protective instinct. He’s right, but we can't show fear. Not now.
“They fought back,” said Kakashi calmly from his seat, his one visible eye scanning the room. “And all of them managed to survive. That’s a lot more than any of us could say when we had battles like this in the past.”
Kakashi-sensei is right, Naruto thought, a flicker of pride for the young genin. They showed courage. They're not fragile. They’re just… kids.
Homura, one of the elder advisors, raised an eyebrow. “Survival is not a metric for readiness. This generation is… untested. Fragile.”
Naruto felt a surge of anger at the word “fragile.” They've been through things we can't even imagine. They've lived in a world of peace, but that doesn't mean they're weak.
“Don’t mistake inexperience for weakness,” replied Shikamaru, his arms folded in a familiar, thoughtful pose. “They’ve seen more in one day than we expected to throw at them in a year.”
“It’s not just about readiness,” said Ino Yamanaka, her hands steepled, her voice calm but firm. “It’s about safety. If we cancel the exams, we send a message to whoever did this: they’ve rattled us.”
"She's right, too," Naruto mused. "A message of fear is a victory for our enemy. We can't afford that."
“But if we don’t, and another attack happens, what do we say to the parents?” Hanabi countered. “That their children were bait?”
Naruto stood slowly. The room fell silent, all eyes on him. This was the moment he had to choose between being the protector and the leader. The weight of his Hokage cloak felt heavier than ever before.
“I understand the fear,” he said, his voice firm but laced with genuine empathy. “I feel it too. I saw what that thing did to them with my own eyes. But we can’t shield them from reality forever. The world is changing. Even though we’ve had a decade of peace since the Fourth Great Ninja War, there are still threats out there. The threats we face don’t wait for comfortability or readiness.”
He looked around the room, his gaze settling on each council member. “These kids didn’t just survive. They stood up. They protected each other. And they’re still standing. That’s what makes a shinobi.” A part of Naruto wished they didn’t have to experience this at such a young age. He and so many others had fought in the war to create a brighter future where children wouldn't have to fight. To see his son face the same fear he had in his youth—with Zabuza, Orochimaru, Gaara—created a tear in his heart. He wanted to hold him close and safe, but life had different plans.
Naruto thought of Sarada, a spitting image of her father, running headfirst into danger. He thought of Mitsuki, calm and calculated. This was a team, just like his, and they had already shown their bond. They are ready, even if they don't know it yet.
“We’ll proceed with the graduation exams. But with increased security. ANBU will monitor the field, and medics on standby. I’ll have my Shadow Clones patrolling the Academy and other major buildings. There won’t be any more surprises.”
There were nods. A few reluctant, a few firm. Naruto gave one last glance out the window, toward the Academy. "I've put my faith in them. Now, it's their turn to believe in themselves." He thought of the village as a whole, a massive, interconnected family. “They’re not just our future. They’re already fighting for it.”
That night, scattered scenes played like fading memories:
Sakura hugged Sarada quietly in their living room. There were no lectures, no scolding—only silence. Sarada's head rested on her mother’s shoulder, but her mind was loud with guilt and questions she couldn’t ask.
Kakashi sat beside Asahi’s bed, his usual unreadable expression softened. Shizune sat on the other side, quietly brushing stray hair from Asahi’s forehead as he dozed. Neither spoke for a long time. When Asahi stirred, murmuring something unintelligible, Shizune took his hand, her thumb tracing the bandages gently. Kakashi’s hand rested on his son’s shoulder, steady and protective. “You scared us tonight,” he said quietly, almost to himself. “But you did well, Asahi. You came back.”
Ino Yamanaka sat on the porch with Inojin, brushing dust from his hair and healing minor scrapes. Inojin insisted he was fine, but Ino didn’t stop. "I know you’re strong," she whispered, "but strong doesn’t mean unbreakable. Let yourself breathe."
Choji and Cho-Cho shared a bowl of chips. He didn't say anything at first. When she finally broke down crying, he simply opened his arms and let her bury herself in his chest. "I was scared too, pumpkin," he said. "But you were brave. So brave."
Hinata tucked Himawari in while keeping a protective hand on Boruto’s head. He winced a little—bruises still fresh—but didn’t complain.
Himawari stirred under the blanket. “You fought that big monster, didn’t you?” she mumbled.
Boruto gave a weak grin. “You weren’t supposed to hear about that.”
“I heard Mama and the neighbors talking,” she whispered. “They said you saved people.”
Boruto looked down at his scraped knuckles and the small cuts on his arms. “I don’t know about that, Hima. I got knocked around a lot. We all did. It… it wasn't what I thought it would be.” The memory of the claw descending on him, the feeling of helpless terror, still lingered. His bravado felt like a lie now. He was just a kid who had gotten lucky.
“You still tried,” Himawari said, her voice clearer now, her small hand reaching out from under the covers to gently pat his. “Even when it was scary. That’s what makes you brave, big brother.”
He looked down at her, surprised. She understood something so simple that had escaped him. He had been so focused on being "cool" and "strong" that he hadn't realized bravery was just about trying, even when you were afraid.
Hinata smiled softly, but there was a tremble behind it. She wrapped her arms around Boruto and Himawari, holding them close. Her voice was quiet, almost a whisper. “When I heard the reports... when I realized it was your class, I...” Her hands tightened around him, her knuckles turning white. She didn't finish the sentence, but she didn’t have to. The words were there, hanging in the silence. The raw, guttural fear she had felt, the same fear she’d felt a decade ago when her cousin, Neji, had died protecting her and Naruto from the Ten-Tails' attacks.
Boruto, feeling the familiar fear and pain in his mom’s voice, for a moment, wasn’t a rebellious child. He was just a boy, small and bruised, in his mother’s arms. He felt her trembling, and a wave of guilt, sharp and cold, washed over him. He had been so focused on proving himself, on showing off, that he hadn’t considered the people waiting for him at home. He had been so blind.
“Mom,” he said, his voice quiet, stripped of all bravado. “I’m sorry.” It was more than a simple apology for a lie. It was an apology for the worry he’d caused, for the risk he had taken without thinking of her or Himawari.
“Don’t be,” she replied, her voice still a little shaky. She pulled back just enough to cup his cheeks, her thumbs brushing dirt from his skin. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, but her smile returned—fragile but warm. “Just promise me… no matter what happens out there—come home. Please.” The plea was so sincere, so heartfelt, that it hit Boruto harder than any attack from the Nue. He nodded slowly, the promise feeling heavier than any wound. But Himawari’s small hand stayed in his.
Under a quiet moon, Shikamaru leaned against the wall outside the Nara home while Shikadai sat on the steps, staring up at the stars. The cool night air felt heavy with unsaid things.
“Your plan fell apart,” Shikamaru said, his voice a low, steady rumble.
Shikadai nodded, his gaze still fixed on the moon. “Didn’t account for a monster crashing through the roof. The shadow… it just broke. It wasn’t strong enough.” He flexed his fingers, remembering the sickening pop when his jutsu had shattered under the beast's power. He’d pushed his chakra to the limit and it still wasn't enough. The feeling of failure was a bitter taste in his mouth.
Shikamaru lit a cigarette, the small flame a brief orange star in the darkness. “Neither did I, the first time I led a mission like that.”
Shikadai glanced at him, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. “Yeah?”
“I thought I was a genius,” Shikamaru said, a hint of self-mockery in his tone. “Had everyone in the right place. Every move planned. But the mission still went south. People got hurt. Killed, even. And I hated myself for it.” He took a slow drag. “But my old man—your grandpa—he told me something smart. He said I could either crawl back into myself, or learn from it. Said leadership’s not about winning—it’s about what you do when the plan fails.”
Shikadai didn’t speak, but his fingers, which had been clenched, loosened. The words resonated, a quiet truth in the face of his frustration.
Shikamaru put a hand on his son’s shoulder, a rare, firm gesture. “Today, you regrouped. You saw what was wrong with the plan, and you made sure your team walked away alive. That’s more than most jonin can claim on their first major fight. You saved them, Shikadai.”
“It still feels like I let them down,” Shikadai mumbled, the words barely audible.
Shikamaru exhaled, smoke drifting past the stars, a ghost of his father’s counsel. “Then remember it. Carry it. Don’t let it crush you, but let it make you smarter. And next time… make them proud.” A breeze passed between them, carrying the weight of their family’s legacy. No more needed to be said.